The Delhi government on Thursday advised retail chemists to refrain from selling over-the-counter drugs like Aspirin, Ibuprofen and Diclofenac without a prescription from a doctor with immediate effect.
In a letter, the Delhi government’s Department of Drugs Control has written to the president of All Chemist Associations of Delhi to avoid the sale of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) with prescription with immediate effect until further instructions.
“Stringent action will be taken against retail chemists if found flaunting this advice,” it said, according to to the Indian Express.
The chemists have been advised to keep records of stocks of these painkiller drugs fall under this category
What is the reason for this?
The department said that these medicines destroy platelets in blood stream, and hence they require strict monitoring.
In the monsoon season, the rise of vector-borne diseases like dengue and chikungunya taking these painkillers without any consultation could be harmful.
This season due to Delhi floods the risk vector-borne diseases is more as mosquito breeding is on the higher side.